A few years ago children’s book editor Sylvie Frank reached into a slush pile and pulled out John Sullivan’s picture book story Kitten and the Night Watchman. That Frank even read this manuscript is a little amazing. The slush pile represents unsolicited manuscripts and ranks as a low editorial priority. In the book publishing industry,…
I am off on pilgrimage to a Texas Christian University reunion with friends I haven’t seen for decades. We were a tight group, who obviously had something special (since we’re spending time and money for this reunion). But some of us have had difficulty keeping connected–even Christmas cards fell away with best intentions. Now is an…
I am thinking about windmills and lighthouses, after attending the Festival of Faith and Writing at Calvin College, Grand Rapids. FFW is a bi-annual, three-day April conference where 2000 writers, editors, and readers descend on campus to hear speakers intertwine their faith with their writing under an interfaith flag. The Festival offers a buffet for…